₦airaland Forum

Joebie:
Now that CHAN is a grade A FIFA tournament, I don’t think it is best for us to treat it as an age grade tournament. Young players should earn their place in the team regardless. Personally, I would like CAF to change the tournament criteria to include debutants — not restricted to players playing in the domestic league.

Players playing in Africa should be a good start. But eventually, players all over the world who have not earned any prior cap for their national teams.

I quite agree with you. We had U17, U20 and U23. It is not the fault of the home based players the U17s and U20s failed to qualify for their African championships.

I think the goal of Caf with Chan invention is to develop African leagues, not under anything.

Players who hitherto cannot get in ahead of the top European stars will have another chance to play international matches. Guys like Emeka Nwanna, Endurance Idaho, Okey Odita, Kelechi Osunwa,Ndubuisi Eze etc would have benefited from a tournament like this if we had Chan earlier.

tbaba1234:
His primary duty is defending and when faced with quality wingers, he has been found wanting. He is one player that i paid particular attention to because of goldfish's high praise of him but he is average at best.

I called him an attacking wing back and that's what he is. We are talking about a winger converted to a wing back just like Moses, nobody will expect such a player's defensive game to be his forte. If a team of the tournament were to be announced today, I don't think another wing back will get in ahead of Osas.

I mentioned him after Shehu's paupers game against South Africa where he couldn't manage a single cross all game . He couldn't even get past his marker. In games where you need attacking outlet from the full back, Osas is better than Shehu in that regard. I stand to be corrected.

I mentioned Kalu Orji Okagbue as well, he has been mustard so far. I don't know why people rate Eze ahead of him. Kalu is the real deal in that defense.

BascoVanVeli:
At least now u even have your own NPFL player that u are biased for.

Orji was better than Eze to me. Eze was rash and he gave away the corner that resulted in the goal when he could have kicked out for throwing. I have noticed that he can get overwhelmed and make silly decisions

You're so on point. Kalu Orji is the maim man in that defense. Eze struggles alot to sort his feet out, could be his height. He can be clumsy at times. I think he scored more own goals than any defender last season in the NPFL
By thw way, why have nobody acknowledged Osas Okoro's deadly crossing. Time and time again, he delivered beautifully weighed in crosses. So far, he has 2 assists in 3 games, which translates to 50% of the teams goal , solid stats for a Right back, I would think?

It is incredulous how Nigerian students are forced to take courses outside their specific field. A relative demanded assistance with funds to get a psychology textbook. Psychology being a Gns course they were studying as "Electrical engineering students". What nonsense? It is akin to a tailor being made to study welding and foundry during his apprenticeship years.
Education in Nigeria quite a mess.

edi287:
Lacazette will most likely play outwide. Mkhi will play as an inverted winger. With Ozil, Wilshere/Ramsey and Xhaka, Arsenal can afford to play Laca on the left as there's enough technical ability in the team. Welbeck will take Giroud's position as back up striker.

I think Arsenal will play with the attacking quartet;

MIKHITARIAN ....... Oezil
Lacazette....... Pierre-Emerick

While Wilshere/Xhaka will play at the base....

Iwobi will still get games, bearing in mind that they will be playing in the Europa cup (which could be their only route to qualify for the champions league) and the Premiership.

BascoVanVeli:
Rohr: I’m Not Leaving Super Eagles For Bordeaux Job

 1 January 22, 2018 8:32 pm

Rohr: I’m Not Leaving Super Eagles For Bordeaux Job






By Adeboye Amosu: Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr has denied speculations in the French media that he has been contacted by French club Girondis Bordeaux to handle the team, Completesportsnigeria. com (CSN) reports.


Rohr had a long history with Bordeaux having enjoyed an illustrious playing and coaching career with the former French champions.


The German played for Les Girondins for 12 years, making 352 appearances.


In 1996, he led the club to the UEFA Cup final, where they lost to Bayern Munich over two legs.



“I have not been contacted to resume as coach of Girondins de Bordeaux,” Rohr stated in an interview with French online news outlet tf1.fr


“It’s a club that’s in my heart, and when I come back to France, I’m in this region.


“But I’m under contract with Nigeria, we’re going to do the World Cup, it’s an adventure that interests me first and foremost.”


The 64-year-old, who was contracted by the Nigeria Football Federation in August 2016, recently penned a new two-year contract following a successful World Cup qualifying campaign.

https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/rohr-im-not-leaving-super-eagles-bordeaux-job/

Gus Poyet was unveiled as the new Bordeaux boss just 2 days ago. This "news" could be coming "late"

Southampton Premier League Debutant Commits International Future To Nigeria

Southampton's new kid on the block Michael Obafemi has committed his international future at senior level to Nigeria ahead of his country of birth, Republic of Ireland, allnigeriasoccer.com can exclusively report.

The 17-year-old had been on the radar of Nigeria's national team coaches and the Nigerian Federation even before he made his Premier League debut in the Saints' 1-1 draw vs Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, January 21.

Obafemi was one of the best players for Team Nigeria UK when they lost to a Golden Eaglets squad parading the likes of Kelechi Nwakali and Victor Osimhen in a pre-World Cup friendly in June 2015.

Coach Emmanuel Amuneke was pleased with his performance and had mulled over the possibility of adding him to the roster but the striker had to return to England.

''He traveled with us to Abuja, he was the best player for Team Nigeria UK. Just last week, we got a call from his mother that he wants to change, he wants to play for Nigeria not Ireland,'' a top source told allnigeriasoccer.com.

''He has been scoring goals regularly for Southampton U18s, we brought him to Nigeria when he was with Leyton Orient, he's a fantastic player.''

Obafemi, who has caps for Republic of Ireland U19s, has scored 12 goals for Southampton U18s this season.
http://www.allnigeriasoccer.com/read_news.php?nid=26281

FAI face competition from Nigeria for underage Ireland star after Premier League debut at just 17

[img]https://cdn-03.independent.ie/incoming/article36515559.ece/bdf27/AUTOCROP/w620h342/1397039.jpg [/img]
John Fallon
January 22 2018 9:18 AM

THE FAI are facing competition from Nigeria for the international allegiances of Michael Obafemi, who made his Premier League debut for Southampton yesterday.
Still only 17, the striker’s exploits in the Saints youth team earned him a place on the bench against Tottenham and he almost scored the winner during the 10 minutes he got on the pitch.
With the game deadlocked at 1-1, Mauricio Pellegrino threw the rookie on and he came within inches of turning a cross home but for once his prolific finishing touch deserted him.

Obafemi was born in Ireland to Nigerian parents before relocating to England at a young age. He spent his formative years at Leyton Orient before being snapped up by the Saints.
Having been spotted by the FAI’s London-based scout Mark O’Toole, he declared for Ireland last year and was called into the U-18 squad for the Slovakia Cup. His debut, though, didn’t come until September when he played twice for the Under-19s in their first phase UEFA qualifiers in Waterford.

The next phase of the qualifiers take place in Portugal during March but, should his ascent continue, Obafemi may be fast-tracked into the U-21 squad for their Euro qualifier against Azerbaijan in the same week or even the senior training camp in Turkey.
Nigeria will have other ideas. In contrast to Ireland, they have qualified for the World Cup and will be eager to pitch themselves to a Premier League newcomer.

Another player eligible for both nations, Limerick’s in-demand striker Chiedozie Ogbene, has indicated he will declare for the Golden Eagles.
"It’s a special feeling as I have dreamed of this since I was a kid," said Obafemi following yesterday’s bow, which made him the second youngest player after Luke Shaw to make his top-flight debut for the Saints.

"I’m just thankful to the club and all the staff that made it happen.
"I came into training on Saturday believing I would be playing for the under-18s. The manager stopped me and said that I would be training instead and would maybe be in the first-team squad.

"When the chance came, I should have used my left foot but I hope I will get another opportunity to prove I can make it at this level.
"I was nervous but the welcome from the supporters was brilliant and the senior guys told me to just relax and prove myself. I want to move on from here and keep working hard.

"I can’t stop here, this is just the beginning
https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/fai-face-competition-from-nigeria-for-underage-ireland-star-after-premier-league-debut-at-just-17-36515562.html

JOHN OBI MIKEL - NIGERIA SKIPPER SET FOR FENERBAHCE MOVE?

https://africanfootball.com/resources/images/placeholder.jpg
Monday Jan 22, 2018. 10:00
Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel could be set for a move to Turkish giants Fenerbahce before the close of this January transfer window.

The 30-year-old Super Eagles skipper has been linked with the Istanbul side in the past, and Sporx reports that the player’s management team has been looking into securing a move to the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

Mikel is currently on the books of Chinese side Tianjin TEDA, having completed his first Chinese Super League (CSL) season a couple of months back.

This could be a fine career move for the Nigerian midfielder, who will want to have competitive football before leading the Super Eagles in their World Cup campaign in Russia.

Fenerbahce are currently in a tight race for the Super Lig title in Turkey, three points behind behind log leaders Istanbul Basaksehir, with Galatasaray also in contention.

The ‘Yellow Canaries’ currently have Africans Nabil Dirar, Aatif Chahechouhe and Carlos Kameni in their first-team squad.
https://africanfootball.com//news/740408/PLAYER-SPOTLIGHT-John-Obi-Mikel-Nigeria-skipper-set-for-Fenerbahce-move

Mickael2:
they have the facilities. When I visited the NTA office at Asaba(?), just somewhere in Delta I was genuinely shocked. They had better broadcast equipments than Channels TV for example but I guess we all know who the boss is. The problem is putting square pegs in round holes. Some of their workers have been handling same positions for 50years straight without any form of improvement through forums, workshops or all what not. It's just the same issue destroying the civil service as a whole

To be honest, the minister of information should probe the management of Nta. Something is not right with that organization.
I don't think they have invested in capacity training of their staff in years, I cant imagine the rot that is the school of broadcasting in Jos and Lagos if the principal organization that is Nta and Frsc are like this.
It appears they are grossly incompetent to handle those multi million USD broadcast facilities.

Icon4s:
For God's sakes Nigeria '99 was 19years ago!

The world has gone digital while they are still bragging about their analogue facilities.

Go to YouTube and check out those Nigeria 99 videos and see if they are different from what we see on NTA today.

LOL. I was talking about Nigeria 2009. They were the broadcast partners of the organizing committee. Billions were spent to upgrade their facilities in 99, 2003 Coja and 2009 U17 WC.
As a matter of fact, N8.2b was spent in 2009 on upgrade of facilities alone.
http://saharareporters.com/2009/07/19/nta-scam-82-billion-naira-nta-broadcast-equipment-nigeria-2009-questions

With the facilities at their disposal, I shudder to think they cannot show a simple replay when a goal is scored. We are talking about facilities worth £32M for goodness sake. With a pentium 3 computer, you can edit and show replays. Ha!

komekn:
If I say I am bewildered that's an understatement.


How on earth do you come to this toxic conclusion is it extreme conceitedness. You now can determine the mind, spirit, heart, intent of a person but always in the negative. You must be a prophet or even better babalowo.

I willl ask you to retrace your steps and look at my comments on the topic. And if you have the courage you may apologise. But then that will require humility.

I read that conjecture and to be honest if I said I wasn't bewildered, I'd be lying. Just take it in the chin and move on, it is one of those things you open yourself to when you mix with people from different ages, background and orientation like we have here.

Icon4s:
We will continue to laugh until they upgrade their facilities. They should go take a look at the quality of production from other national TV stations.

I even manage to watch the games shown own Supersports even with the HD signals. I can't even imagine tuning to NTA for anything program talk less of to watch the NPFL.

They better mend ways with Supersports and return broadcast to them.

Could their problem be lack of facilities? Recall their broadcast equipment was massively upgraded in 2009 for the broadcast of the U17 WC.
I doubt they have auctioned off those OBB vans.

Is Stephen Eze still eligible for this competition? I understand he has signed a contract with Locomotive Poldiv.

Don’t Laugh at NTA, Support them to Grow Domestic Sports


It appears the lot has again fallen on the government-owned Nigeria Television Authority to revive the Nigerian sports industry. Following the decision of satellite broadcaster, Supersport to stop covering the Nigerian Professional Football League games last season, the League Management Company has turned to the NTA for answers.

While the national broadcaster has the widest reach and decent equipment, our abandonment of our domestic sports has meant much of the equipment was left to rot, while there was hardly any effort to grow expertise in 21st century sports production. It was no surprise then that when the 2018 season of the NPFL started last weekend, the NTA coverage left much to be desired.

Most analysts were unsurprisingly critical of the quality of the production, compared to what Supersport had offered before. In Nigeria, when we are not directly involved in something, we tend to gloss over the variables involved in achieving world class quality. To reach the quality levels of Supersport, let alone the standards of European packaging, will take massive financial investments and time. This can only be possible if there is considerable support from the local business community and government. The problem however is that our brands only want to sponsor the glitzier English Premier League and UEFA Champions League games, while government has failed to grasp how sports can engage and unify our exploding and increasingly polarized population.
In the more successful parts of the world, people understand how self-protection is critical to society’s success and global competition. The business community would have understood the need to back the NPFL for two reasons: First, this funds the league, Second, it creates jobs and wealth within society that translates to better patronage of their products or services. But this is Africa where we would rather look good and lose than to look bad and win. When our businesses sponsor the foreign leagues they essentially fund the leagues overseas and create almost zero value within our society. In the end we all lose, and we can see the results in our economy today.
Television is critical to the success of the sports industry. Ideally TV networks pay for content like the NPFL and recoup their investments through subscriptions and advertising. Supersport, to their credit, used to pay for the rights to the NPFL to encourage the development of the local game. For years this South African-owned company poured millions of dollars into the league and got almost no support as our own Nigerian brands were instead throwing their own millions of dollars to the European game.
Now the collateral damage from not developing our own has reached all corners. Business is bad for everyone. Although Supersport blamed some contractual breach for pulling the plug on the NPFL deal, we all know business is not as rosy as it once was. It may be convenient for most of us to blame the government for our woes, but the fact is that if we continue to ship N70 of every N100 we earn in Nigeria overseas, we will be poorer every year regardless of how brilliant the government is.
NTA as a government-run organisation can hardly afford to pay for the NPFL rights. Beyond the rights the network also needs to commit hundreds of millions into filming the games. Were the NPFL a darling of Nigerian fans, then maybe the government would undertake the investment, but is this is hardly the case. However sports remain a critical tool to engage our exploding population and unify our increasingly polarized peoples, so it is imperative we find a way out.
The LMC is also critical to the solution and it appears they are moving in the right direction. Were they awash with cash, they would set up their own filming company to record the games and then simply sell the rights to TV networks around the world. However they lack the resources to do this and must now work with the NTA to arrive at their goal. This appears a partnership of strange bedfellows, but it is for now the sensible thing to do. Their success however is dependent on whether they find advertisers as, unlike Supersport, the NTA does not make any money from subscriptions.
The idea is not for us to ridicule NTA and the poor quality of their production, or to dismiss the NPFL, but for us to find a way to help out such that the league and sports industry survive to create the value we desperately need within our society. While the federal government may not directly commit funds to the NTA and league, there is no reason why rich government parastatals like the NNPC, CBN, Customs, NPA, etc cannot put some of their community development and marketing funds on sports. Each of these organisations can directly sponsor top sports events like our football league or competitions in other sports like athletics or tennis etc.
The behemoths have the budgets, but for now they use them for silly things like calendars and expensive gifts for already wealthy people. We cannot afford to waste more time and resources before we take sports seriously. For now it is imperative chime in our bit to help NTA and the LMC succeed, unless we feel that when the food finally disappears from our tables the EPL and UEFA can help.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2018/01/20/dont-laugh-at-nta-support-them-to-grow-domestic-sports/

somehow:
Then you have not been watching MFM and Kano pillars. These sides play to score. Attack all rounder

I have watched Mfm and Kano Pillars, they play good football at times but not as good as the teams I mentioned earlier. By the way, the CAF champions league semifinals between Heartland and Pillars was simply electric.

This present Chan team have very compact and strong defence. Kalu Orji and Stephen Eze could make it to the main super Eagles, especially with about 6 friendlies lined up. The left back and Osas are holding their own as well. I think they are the best defensive quartet in this championship by a mile.

Sunnypa11:
Coach Salisu Yusuf has blamed the NPFL coaches for the profligacy and [dryness] of his attack. He said the coaches are not developing the players and alluded to the NPFL invitational where his team out-scored all the others. He opined that the National team is not a developmental ground where the players begin to learn the basics, adding that they had no time to teach the players what their coaches in their various clubs should have taught them.

cc. Adepoju Samuel

This is spot on. Nigerian coaches pay more attention to strength and endurance training than tactics, positioning and technique.

The last I saw an Npfl team play with attacking invention was the title conquering Rangers team of 2016 and Mr Kelechi Emetole's Heartland 2009 CAF champions league finalist.
Coaching in Nigeria need to evolve so talents can be harnessed properly.

I wish a guy like Theo Jacob de Jong managed in Nigeria more than half a season.

Kog45:
Osas Okoro man where u dey wey u no watch ya boy

What exactly happened?

Kog45:
O'boy dey watch the match go joor,the anger wey you no get when we lost to South Africa 2-0 at home,na on top CHAN team you wan pour am abi.OK o.

Lol... Please what's the time remaining? I am indisposed to watch the game.

TheSuperNerd:
Good, but Kelechi actually never scored a freekick at UAE or at the African U-17 championship did he?

And against Swaziland, it was not Kelechi who came close to scoring from a freekick, it was Moses Simon. Kelechi came in late in that game.

So you do admit then that he can hit curlers, rockets and belters. Very good. So you now admit to not being blind to Kelechi's attributes abi all because you want to show that it is not something he improved on but has always had abi. Well, newsflash, Kelechi has also always been a fantastic finisher. #Fact

And his Vision and incisive passing have grown in leaps too. So you see it is not just his sense of positioning and finishing. After all, he has always been a fantastic finisher too from the U-17s.



And don't even go there. Monaco tabled an actual offer for Kelechi which Was turned down by the player because of British passport. Same as Nagelsmann's hoffenheim who were among the first to indicate keen interest in Kelechi. So what is hypothetical about those biko? na wa for you.... playing the hypothetical card too. hian!

And now you are getting more specific, if Nacho played as lone CF, he would ne nothing more than a fox in the box.... loolll... but you said that he has been reduced basically to a fox in the box and cannot execute the other of his abilities coz only finishing and Positioning, according to you, was developed in Kelechi. I can sense a subtle goal post shift here Sir Goldfish. Your fox-in-the-box call on Kelechi was to tag him as an all round player but never to state how he will operate as a lone CF.

Haven't I already said that lone CF is not his strongest role? And that Kelechi improvises when he executes that role?

You said Kelechi right now is nothing more than a fox in the box and you were even gloating about how right you turned out only to be proven wrong time and again based on his performances across time even in that game against Argentina.

He had scored curlers, rockets, freekicks, and come up with sumptuous assists. How can a player who is just a fox in the box do all that?

When speaking fox-in-the-box, you never limited it to how he executes the lone CF role, you said it to mean the kind of player that Kelechi is now. You said it to mean his other abilities were lost except finishing and positioning. So stop shifting your stand.

I have always been the one to say that the SS and AM roles are Kelechi's best positions and his beast-mode roles, the roles from which you will always see Kelechi at His fullest best. But again, I also admit that I have seen the best of him too in the Top 9 or lone CF role. His finishing in those situations are top notch. A lone CF is not meant to contribute much to build up plays ehen his job is to bury changes created just like Inzaghi was doing.

The only time he can contribute us if he is asked to play a kind of False 9 role or False CF role. Finito.

You're deliberately paraphrasing my points,because I know youre intelligent enough to understand my point. I dont want to believe otherwise.

First of all, I talked about his goal at the U17s which highlights the potential to be good in free kicks. If a guy can score a curler outside the box, it is pretty much academical that he could develop into a good free kick taker.
He demonstrated this same shooting prowess against Swaziland in the Cnn goal of the week. I don't know where you came up with him being a substitute in that game.

Talking about changing goalposts? What goal post if I may? My argument from day 1 was that Man city did a poor job developing Kelechi.

1) His take on ability seems to have been coached out of him there.
2) They developed only his finishing, shooting prowess and positioning thereby sacrificing the general development of his game.
3) The deficiency in 1 & 2 have turned him into a fox in the box.

Which of the 3 stated facts am I shifting the goal posts?

Finally, being a lone striker requires a player who can play with his back to goal because he could be isolated from the supporting midfield, hence the ability to hold the ball up amd wait for support is very vital. Inzaghi never was a lone striker like that. He always had Kaka playing very close to him as a SS and Shevshenko on his outside right.

If I may ask, what areas of Kelechi's game do you think he needs to improve the most? Or do you think he is the finished product yet?
Answer this so I can understand where you stand, exactly.

TheSuperNerd:
Of course, they said nothing as regards their intentions. They didn't have to. These are managers that have attacking philosophies and it is on that I base my words. Their philosophies would have suited Kelechi nicely and they would not have come for Kelechi if all they saw was his finishing.

And you have shown me that you don't know that Kelechi's Vision and Eagle-eyed passing have gotten even better aside his positioning and finishing which makes me more than a fox in the box.

And to wait to see how things pan out will only lead to your fox-in-the-box theory being destroyed because it is clear you will not admit that apart from Kelechi's finishing and sense of positioning, he has gotten better at set-pieces, his Vision is also enhanced and his Eagle-eyed passing remains as incisive as ever.





And yes Kelechi's first touch was awesome.... SSE what what Even Solace Chukwu, one of Goalnigeria's top sound critics and writers had to say about Kelechi's first touch for that first goal... (check in pic below)


So yeah, Let's see how things pan out. You could yet become a believer...

Kelechi always had the potential to strike good free kicks from his time with the U17s.
Against Mexico in their first game, he scored a curler from way out of the box.
In the game vs Swaziland, he scored almost an identical goal too... The potential to score from free kicks should not be alien to anyone who saw him from 2013.

Again, you cannot say you know how Nagelsmann or Jardim will instruct him (we are speaking hypothetically because neither of them confirmed they wanted him).
Pep Guardiola is famed for tiki taka but Kelechi's heat maps showed he played very close to goal without offering much in build up play.

My hypothesis is simple. If Kelechi must play as a lone CF, he won't be anything more than a fox in the box who will wait for the perfect pass to tap in but if he is deployed as a SS in a twin attack, he could develop further other parts of his game.
Gernot Rohr figured this out for himself after the SA game and promptly recalled an almost forgotten Ighalo.

TheSuperNerd:
When I say "the Nacho I have seen so far", I do not limit it to just Fleetwood
And he did contribute to some nice build-up plays even though he did get into scoring positions by running from just behind as the secondary/support striker (SS) in rhe 4-4-1-1 they played.

I speak of his journey from Man City to Leicester and also in Super Eagles Colors. Now that broader view of Nacho is not a fox in the box. Itz a simpu sturvs

Most managers know he is a clinical finisher hence they focused mostly on that due to having other options in AM roles but some of these managers also acknowledge the other brilliant sides to his game like his Vision and build up plays like Pellegrini and Gernot Rohr. Even Julian Nagelsmann of Hoffenheim and Leonardo Jardim of Monaco, who came for him in the last summer window before he settled for Leicester because of British passport, were not going to just utilise Nacho for his finishing but also for his other qualities like his great Vision most especially.

LOl... you're being a tad presumptuous. Neither Julian Nagelsmann nor Jardim stated how they intend to use or what they thought of his Kelechi's game.
Anyway, let's leave it at that. You have made me believe that you don't know Kelechi's other assets haven't developed as much as his positioning and finishing. I saw people raving about his improved first touch the other day....

Let's see him things pan out, in the the fullness of time, you could still come around.

TheSuperNerd:
Actually the Nacho I have seen so far is not a fox in the box.... He is a player who contributes to build up plays, have great vision, dangerous from set pieces, can shoot curlers and rockets from outside the box (and have done so comfortably too). So no, if I am being honest and truthful, I most certainly do not agree with your assessment of Nacho as a fox in the box.

And "as a lone forward" is certainly not Kelechi's best position. I have always said this but truth is I have also seen the best of him that role. It is like a student so good at maths but a little above average in physics. Nacho's best lie in the SS and AMF roles and as a false 9. But as a lone forward/Top 9 well... that is just him improvising for the most parts.


And if you no talk team wey go win World cup, then you still never talk anything oooo... this is not AFCON... And I wonder who your "Cameroun" at the mundial will be this time...

I actually watched the game the other night from the 30th min or there about.
From what I saw Slimani actually contributed to the build up play more than Kelechi and Kelechi was supposed to be the SS.

The truth is that, most managers see Kelechi as a finisher and they want him close to goal as much as possible. This explains the reason why most of his touches come from within and inside the box (You can check his heat maps). This again comes back to my initial point that his previous and even current coaches under developed other aspects of his game while focusing on his finishing.

It's not like I blame the managers anyway, they need the 3 points otherwise their heads will be on the chopping block.

TheSuperNerd:
So it is I who is forgetful then? Lol... abeg drop that weak shade.

When I say no.9 what do i refer to? Or you have forgotten I used "Top striker" in a discussion I had with you about Nacho? If your memory is as great as you make it, then why don't the term "No.9" lead you to recall "Top striker" in our argument? Lone forward, Top9, No.9, Top striker... we spoke on this at length concerning Nacho so why making it sound like I mean something else when I said "no.9"?

You called him useless as a top 9, no.9, Top striker... that is The truth. But he has scored 3 of his 8 international goals as a no.9 (lone forward/top striker). And also plundered 21 for Man City playing in same position upfront most times. I use most times because I remember he also paired with Bony at times (he was no lone forward in those few instances and still scored).

And I recalled also being okay with having an Ighalo lead our attack against Cameroun because he is much more physical even though he is also blessed technically. And Ighalo can comfortably play with his back to goal. There are opponents where we are expected to utilise such tactics against. Cameroon was just one.

But again you call for a big burly " back to goal" top 9 took a twist when you started supporting the call for Martins later on to lead the line as the Top 9. How funny.


And there was no need for a deep psychoanalysis of your words on Kayode that day. I saw it all Sir. You said what you said and it was all under the same cloud of Nacho being castigated left right and centre by some monikers that day. You reckoned that Kayode will score soon enough after his move to Girona while Kelechi was still struggling to come back at Leicester. You even went as far as calling Peter Olayinka a true bonafide footballer and said you don't rate Bonaventure Dennis. I still remember the patterns and waves of discussions back then Sir Goldfish.


And yes you were gloating about Tbaba's comments.... but again, both of you have it wrong. Pellegrini didn't just coach the finishing ability of Nacho because he certainly didn't see Nacho as just a finisher. I have shown that to you.


Lastly, I also have my fair share of predictions which came true dating back to the U-17s thread. We all cannot get it right all the time like how you also predicted cameroun to be our toughest battle only for it to turn out the easiest of matches... I recall stating casually that Zambia may turn out more difficult than Cameroun in the end and so it was.

But hey! I still doff my hats for how you saw that same Cameroonian team conquering Africa in 2017. Lol... that was a shocker.

LOl... Let's not turn this to a pissing contest of "I said, I didn't say" . I believe our comments are cached in Google servers anyone in doubt can verify and shame me( I will be waiting for this), but for for clarity sake, I will repeat without remorse. "Kelechi is useless as a lone forward" I have seen the worst of him in that position to come to this conclusion.

Oh! you forgot I also mentioned that Man city turned him into a fox in the box... lol
You opposed me vehemently when I said this.
If you're honest with yourself, you can see clearly, I did not lie after all. ; D

By the way, I already know the country to win the world cup, but I no go talk am, YET!

TheSuperNerd:
I didn't say you compared. I said you called him useless as a no.9

Comparison talk was for Egbon Forgiveness.


And you have lost number of predictions which turned out true abi? Well, you also said you predicted that Kayode will bang in a LA liga goal very very soon. You said that during the time Nacho was being villified. A subtle message I would say. Now how did that prediction turn out?


And hey, Kelechi under Pellegrini was not just coached to focus on his finishing. This is seen in Pellegrini's words himself....

“Kelechi for me is not just a finisher,” said Pellegrini. “He played very well. He must improve his control.

“But he always played with his head up so he made two important assists. He set up Kevin de Bruyne and after that, with more space, made a goal for Manu Garcia.
“He can play behind the striker and arrive in the box to finish, as he did for his goal.
“It was very important for him to make a very good performance - he is a very good player.
“He is not just a striker, because he assisted two goals, and I am very happy for him. He must continue working. He has a lot of things to improve but I am very happy for him.”

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/manchester-city-kelechi-iheanacho-more-10350070

So much for trying to smile to yourself now because of what Sir Tbaba1234 said.... hahahahahahaha... well Pellegrini never saw Nacho that way. He saw more than a finisher and did try to coach him along those dynamics. #Fact

I called him useless as " lone forward". From day1, I have always said he was a second striker. Manu Garba and his youth team coach said this.
Recall I championed the call for his replacement with a striker who can match the Camerounians power play.
I am mot the forgetful type, I am blessed with an above average retentive memory.

Again, saying Kayode will soon break his duck was never in the context of petty rivalry with Kelechi. It was just a straight up honest analysis of what was on my mind.
If you psyco analyze every word I dropped, you will always get me wrong.

Finally, not that I am gloating about Tbaba's comment. I was simply happy to see someone who finally saw through what I have preaching for the past 2 years.
If I wanted to gloat about anything, I will list 10 predictions/analysis I have gotten nailed on months/weeks before they came to pass.

TheSuperNerd:
I congratulated Funke. In fact, when some were trying to play down on its achievement at the time, I had to remind them that Avengers:Infinity war will be one of 2018's best and most profitable movies financially at the box office, so being part of a project like that even as a cameo background character is quite an attainment.

But now you speak of Nacho - Kayode.... please who castigated Kayode because of Nacho's performance yesterday? I think I only saw one moniker who did so.... Realpoacher. The guy is one that I know mentioned Kayode and to me, I was like... "not again "

But who else Elder Kog45 because I fear your accusation on guys who stand up for Nacho is totally misplaced.

Iheanacho is the most vilified and most castigated player on this thread and in NL as a whole. The boy is almost always being put down by a host of people who feel he can easily be replaced despite his good run of form and records for the Super Eagles.

And please don't forget where all this nacho-kayode comparison began. It began with Egbon Forgiveness... (Ehmmmm... Egbon Sir Forgiveness... abeg no vex... I just wan make point okay. Hope say u dey okay. I never see you for a while now sef.)

Now, Egbon Forgiveness started it as a way of showing all that Nacho can be replaced and by who? Well , he brought up Solanke and then later Kayode as better options upfront.

Now before this, There was no issues with anyone being tribalistic as regards showing support and love to one of Nigeria's Golden boys , Kelechi Iheanacho (take or leave it, you know he is one of Nigeria's most beloved players thus must also have the highest no. of critics).

But when Egbon Forgiveness brought up this issue and was always persistent with it as regards Nacho being trash upfront and brimimg up Kayode or solanke (way back then) as a better option, that was when people like me had to step in and try to balance things by saying that he should not rubbish Nacho just because he wants to make a case for Kayode or any other. That it is not fair and it is unhealthy.

Others got into the mix of the arguments too and as usual a mentality was formed for most. Someone even called Nacho useless as a no.9 (Sir Goldfish80 to be precise). Sir Goldfish80 also went on to make the bold prediction that Kayode will soon bang his first LA liga goal soon enough based on his attitude and dare. He said that as a way of saying Kayode will even get a league goal in Spain before Nacho. Look... guys, I don't forget things oooo... I watch and I take note.

Now because of all these... it is not surprising to see someone like Realpoacher always on Goldfish80's and Mickael2's cases... but I must use this opportunity to finally call him out. Omo Sir Realpoacher... Abeg. even if you must tackle or oppose their views, don't do it in a manner that defames their character biko. Those guys are valuable members of the thread and have been here long enough before you showed up. So please accord them that respect even if you must oppose okay. Thanks man.

Now back to the matter of tribalism.... elder kog 45.

It is not as if anyone wants Kayode to fail just to prove a point. Nope... because from all I have observed so far, na only Realpoacher call out Kayode and obviously becos Kayode is always being used by Egbon Forgiveness and the other Nacho critics to run down Nacho and make him look like a lost cause.


So this is the true angle. I do not support running down of any player to uplift another. Nooooooo.... but I pray that all desist from using a player to run down another. If you must castigate a player, then do so with care and love and not with pull down mentality.

Iheanacho, it is not his fault that he is well loved in Nigeria and as well have more critics. It is obvious... he is one of our golden boys. See the views this thread got just because Nacho was in action and reviews of his performance were coming left, right and centre... iwobi, moses, and even Ndidi have never garnered such views like Nacho on this thread. Only Mikel rivals Nacho for such views sef but Nacho still edges slightly.

You cannot accuse people who speak up for Nacho for tribalism becos from my observation, guys here who speak up for him and won't go down hard on him in a near destructive manner like The critics do cut across the length and breadth of Nigeria. All major tribes represented here have guys and laides who will speak up for Nacho. So the point of tribalism is absurd.

Like I said, there was never a debate on players comparison until Egbon Forgiveness brought that in. So when people speak up for Nacho, it is to counter what Forgiveness have said to rubbish Nacho and praise Kayode or Solanke. That is the gospel truth.
And it also leads to a psychological reaction to always praise Nacho's good moments in order to drown the earlier opinions of Nacho being trash and way below Kayode and Solanke.

Egbon Forgiveness started the comparison and players rubbishing. He started that and we all cannot deny it if we are truthful but then I feel he was just doing it in the way he understood. He may not change but I have learnt to avoid towing that line with him now coz I am focused on the bigger picture. But what I have outlined is the truth. Showing Love and support for Nacho is not a case of tribalism but rather a case of a psychological defensive reaction against repeated comments washing down Nacho and making Kayode and Solanke gods over him in terms of talent and potentials.

Biko... I know the tides here so I won't lie. Let us be careful and wish all our players well. But don't expect a handshake when you bash one of our best Players in the GWG in order to praise another GWG player who is still seen as a fringe player in the team. Kayode for now is a fringe player and one of our own. He is a very fine player but for the team's sake, he is behind Nacho in the pecking order. Bashing Nacho so that you can make a case for Kayode will only lead to people defending Nacho's relevance and pointing to Nacho's records for us and if you are not observant and careful, you will think it is tribalism.

I repeat, defending or being happy for Nacho is not tribalism. It is only because he has been much vilified and insulted here and overly castigated. Itz a simpu sturvs rily....

Just saw these mentions now and I think I should put things straight.

I have never compared Kayode with Iheanacho or anyone else for that matter.
Mind you,I think Kayode is not best suited as a striker, he's more like a wing forward in my opinion. Anyone who have followed my comments will know I like my strikers big, fast, technical and CAN PLAY WITH BACK TO GOAL. Comparison with Kelechi is out of the question. I mentioned Kayode will aoon break his his duck in Spain when I noticed people took turns in trolling him unjustly. Had absolutely nothing to do with Kelechi.

Finally, I said Kelechi was useless as a LONE FORWARD (Did you deliberately forget this? Only you can answer that).And yes! I still stand by this statement and will defend saying this, anytime, any day, be it in a shrine, church or mosque.
At least last night proved what I have been saying all these while. Slimani provided the foil for him and he thrived.
Look, I have long gone past looking at football as just a spectator. I have lost count tye number of predictions and analysis which have turned out to be true in the fullness of time.
I read Tbaba's comment which he said Kelechi have been coached by managers who dwelled more on his finishing than developing his all round game.
I smiled when I read this because this is what I have been saying for the better part of 2yrs.

tbaba1234:
This is the thing, very few were on target. Shooting high and wide.

I doubt, we will have 20 shots against Libya or Morocco. They need to be far more clinical.

Of course, that's what we are saying, they should be more clinical and obviously, they need that little bit of luck too, not that the team played particularly badly.

The game yesterday was almost akin to the game between Arsenal and Manchester United earlier this season. I think Arsenal had something like 24 shots on goal while Man utd won the game with just 4 shots on goal. The difference being that Rwanda pulled a draw.
Even Arsenal's biggest critics never blamed Arsenal for not playing well.

Kog45:
Surprisedly the same set of people criticising these boys are the same people given excuses for our poor performance against South Africa,so why double standard.

Pls let love our teams irrespective of players involved.

I deliberately didn't want to bring up the South African game, because I know the bandwagon herd pattern here.

As for those who say that our ranking will go down because of this result, need I remind them that our ranking have been down for the past 4 years because of our main national team's failure to qualify for the Afcon two times in a spin.

The outlandish comments lacking indepth analysis on what actually happened on the pitch last night,shows we have very very few football people on this thread. The rest are just hype men.

somehow:
It takes a creative team to create 23 chances in a game, this alot have shyed away from. That they didn't score even though 3 hit woodwork shouldn't be used to rubbish them.

I believe scoring will get corrected against their next opponent

Their superiority in the game was further underlined by restricting their opponents to just 2 shots on goal.
I dont expect the team to create 23 chances every game, but if they can get it right, they could go far in this tournament.

I was expecting this reaction from people here. Always waiting on the sidelines to knife home based players.
I can only see a hand full of unbiased analysis from a few egg heads here.

Truth is that the team generally didn't have a poor game. They out played the Rwandans hands down.
24 shots average with 3 shots hitting the wood work is a lot. As a matter of fact, it will be be difficult to find a team who will shoot 23 times on goal cumulatively all tournament. I will be worried if the team struggled to create chances but that wasn't the case.

By the way, did anyone notice the long throws by the left back? Every throwing appeared to be a free kick. You could get the vibe the Rwandans were nervous whenever there was a throw in awarded against them. Hopefully the long throw tactics pays off sometime as the tournament went on.

I am quite optimistic about our chances in this tournament. If the team can get it right in front of goal, an unlucky team could be in for a real spanking.

Old habits die hard indeed.
Even the Chan team is suffering from the the usual Nigeria first 10-15 lethargy. This lethargy seems to be ingrained in our Dna.
Normal service seems to have resumed after usual 1st 10-15 mins collapse.

tbaba1234:
No doubt, he was made by the swiss system.

Same can be said of Ekong, Balogun, Ebuehi and all the other german boys, we are chasing. Developed by another system.

Our league system should start producing true youth talents, many of the 17/18 year olds in our league are elders claiming youth.

Our youth systems are not very good so we will continue to tap from those developed outside. Even if we had good youth structures, we will still get talent from outside, just like the Moroccans and Algerians.

The 3 players you listed were not in the Dutch and German set up. They never played for their age grade teams. They were developed by private clubs in those countries.

For me, I would only consider it a loss like in the case of Olisadebe, Gloria Alozie, Francis Obikwelu et all who traveled as migrants and nationalized in those countries.
I honestly don't see Akanji as a loss.

Off football, how is madam and my baby?